GRADE 2

April 2024

To help us further develop our shadow puppet stories, we discussed how most stories have a beginning, middle, and end. We watched an animated story (The Three Robbers) and reflected on what happened at the beginning of the story. In the story, the narrator introduced the three characters first. The narrator also introduced the setting. 

We also continued filming our introductory scenes for the WHYY Media Lab equipment.

We also recorded our scripts for our shadow puppet stories in the recording booth. We began editing our videos and audio with WeVideo. We added titles and music to our videos with WeVideo.

March 2024

We discussed characters and characterization a little more by thinking about what kinds of things make our characters interesting and special. We also used brads to make some of our characters have moving parts. 

Then, we started filming our stories using cameras from the WHYY Media Lab. Some groups chose to use color filters on their lights to influence the mood and/or setting of the story. We also reviewed some of the early footage and developed a list of tips for filming.

We also began to write scripts for introducing our characters at the beginning of the story. Ms. Amy moved around the room to help groups improve their scripts.

In class and after school, we used LEGOs and LEGO robotics to create and iterate. In the after school program, Penn Engineers, MANAS volunteers, and Ms. Kessler supported our learning.

February 2024

We kicked off a shadow pupper story project. First, we used our hands to practice making shadows. Next, we watched an example shadow puppet story (The Three Little Piggies). Then, we started brainstorming characters we might include in our own stories. We began cutting the characters out of black cardstock. Some of us even used YouTube to help us draw characters. We also created set pieces and practiced using the light stages.

For the length of the project, we will be joined by a guest teacher, Ms. Amy, who has more than two decades of experience supporting young playwrights.

We investigated with lasers and mirrors to try to hit a target. We noticed that when the laser hits the mirror, it reflects off at a similar angle. We started with one mirror and worked our way up to using four. When we turned the lights off and used a little bit of dust, we could see the path of the laser as it hit the mirrors.

Lasers are used in a number of different technologies.

January 2024

We discussed how stories often have characters that have things about them that make them special. We watched, discussed, and wrote about characters Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. Then, we used Tinkercad and LEGOs to create characters and to learn about characterization. 

We also created characters in Scratch. We had our characters introduce themselves and then move across the screen.

Some students are also beginning to advocate for doing specific projects, like recording interviews in the podcasting booth, creating specific animations in Scratch, doing science experiments, and doing more light painting.

December 2023

We participated in Computer Science Education Week with Hour of Code. Check out some of the coding activities here.

We created simple games in Scratch by (1) creating event listeners to move a player up, down, left, and right, and (2) creating a conditional, or if/them statement to check for whether our sprite was touching another sprite before changing the score.

We put our math and coding skills in action to create math word problems in Scratch. We analyzed an example that Mr. Smith created. The code uses an if/then statement, or conditional, to do one thing if a correct answer is entered or another things if an incorrect answer is entered. Then, we drafted our own questions on paper and created stories in Scratch.

We used a web app, webcams, and glow sticks to create light paintings. (If we’d used a regular digital camera, we’d have needed to change the shutter speed.)  As we practice light painting, we developed techniques with the classroom lights off. We also captured images in our super-dark podcasting booth.

November 2023

We used a PhET simulation to explore how mixing colors of light makes different colors. For instance, if we mix red and green light, it makes yellow light! This is different from mixing red and green paint, which would be closer to brown. When we mix light, it often makes brighter colors.

We used Scratch and transparency sheets to create “Pepper’s ghost” reflections. We observed an example and decided what code (next costume block, forever block, wait block) we’d need to make four animated sprites. We also needed to rotate our sprites.

We discussed what an invention is, which is something we've discussed before. (Our theme for the year is "light, electricity, and invention.") We used LEGOs to create a futuristic invention with a partner that we usually don't work with. This was a one-day design challenge.

October 2023

We discussed how a number of inventors contributed to the development of the light bulb, including Thomas Edison and Lewis Latimer. We read a little about inventor Lewis Latimer and his work with patents. We wrote down important information about what we learned about Latimer: who, what, where, when, why, and how. We also discussed why people apply for patents.

We explored how to code micro:bit's to create LED designs and messages. We discovered we could code the message to show up when you shake the micro:bit or press a button.

We created characters and story maps with Ozobots. Our little robots speed up, slow down, spin, zigzag, etc. as they read coded patterns we draw with red, green, blue, and black markers. First, we designed costumes for our Ozobots. Then, we brainstormed story ideas for why they might want to change speed or direction.

September 2023

We discussed that we're exploring light and electricity this year. We used a PhET simulation to test what we needed to make a basic circuit. We started by exploring to see what we noticed about the kinds of circuits we could make. We realized that if we added batteries, the light bulbs seemed to shine brighter. We also realized that if two wires touched the same part of the bulb, the bulb wouldn't light up. We also created a parallel circuit that allowed us to switch off one bulb and allow the other one to stay lit. As we conducted our investigation, we jotted down notes in our journals.

We observed and sketched incandescent light bulbs. One thing we noticed was that the bottom of the light bulb had a metal tip that was separated from the rest of the metal bottom with some kind of black material. Mr. Smith told us that the black material was an insulator that kept the two conductive metal parts separate. These two metal parts connect to either end of the filament inside the bulb.

We built a variety of mini-projects using snap circuits. We selected mini-projects to build based on our interests. One group figured out that one of the lights dimmed when more things were connected. We also figured out that water can conduct electricity. Eventually, we will be designing things to solve problems in the world with light and electricity.